Stories of Community Support

More Stories of Community Support

San Diego Food Not Lawns

San Diego Food Not Lawns is a grassroots group based in San Diego, CA, which focuses on "cultivating an edible future" and working together to offer information, to facilitate communication, and to otherwise act and effect local change regarding a variety of food- and land-related issues. These issues include food security; sustainable agriculture; genetically engineered foods and commercial food production; environmental and social justice; farm worker and border issues; land access; water; reducing our ecological footprint; feeding the hungry; reclaiming space; and certainly, creating local food systems.

A $1,000 grant from the San Diego chapter of Bread for the Journey will help to support San Diego Food Not Lawns through the Chollas Creek urban farm project. This will specifically be used as a demonstration site in order to grow free plant starts for local schools and gardeners and to help facilitate free gardening classes. A portion of the funds will also help support the San Diego Food Not Lawns annual event, “Eat In, Act Out Week“ in 2008.

Dress for Success

For thousands of women in San Diego County, the prospects for building confidence and gaining career skills are remote. With low self-esteem, a lack of job skills and minimal professional support, these women and their children are trapped in a cycle of poverty. Dress for Success San Diego (DFSSD) was conceived to help these women break that cycle, by providing multi-level support during their transition from government assistance to economic independence.

It all starts with the suits. Each DFSSD client receives a personal consultation at the DFSSD “boutique”. She receives one suit for her job interview and, when she gets the job, up to one week’s worth of professional attire and additional, ongoing support services. DFSSD volunteers gently guide the client through the clothing selection process, and along the way, nurture their self-esteem and educate the client on workplace protocol and expectations. Each client is encouraged to discuss her feelings about the pending interview, her professional presentation, child-care plans, and other issues. This consultation and clothing are the beginnings of DFSSD programs, which are devoted to job retention and career advancement, assuring clients of the needed support throughout their journey.

DFSSD also pioneered a professional Mentor Program that matches clients with successful businesswomen for guidance and encouragement. Clients are referred by human-service and job-readiness programs throughout San Diego County, and over 4,000 local women have benefited from DFSSD programs since 1998. Bread for the Journey of San Diego granted $1,000 to San Diego Dress for Success to help support these wonderful programs.

Sun and Moon Vision Productions

The mission of Sun and Moon Vision Productions (SMVP) is to support women filmmakers in producing films, documentaries, media art, and events that educate, inspire change, and advance a humanitarian vision. Advocating for the end of human and environmental exploitation through the creation and distribution of women-made media-arts programs and events, they work to educate and provide working opportunities to other media artists — especially women and youth — who typically do not have access to (or are under-represented in the fields of) film and multimedia technologies.

SMVP provides full multimedia production services for other businesses, arts and culture programs, and community organizations in and around San Diego. The San Diego chapter of Bread for the Journey was proud to give a $1,000 grant to support Sun and Moon Vision Productions.

License to Freedom

Many of us take driving (or our ability to learn how to drive) for granted. What if you were a woman from a country where females were not encouraged — even forbidden — to learn to drive? Imagine how it might be if, in addition, you were living with domestic violence and had no way to flee.

License to Freedom is a nonprofit community-based organization that promotes nonviolence through Domestic Violence Prevention and Intervention, Driver’s License Education, and Women’s Self-Sufficiency Projects in the San Diego region. They are advocates who believe that every person has a right to live without fear and that abused refugee and immigrant women and children should be able to seek and receive services that are respectful of their language, culture, race, age, sexual orientation, physical ability and religious belief.

The community education model used was adapted from “Training for Transformation,” an approach developed by Paulo Freire. All educational sessions are experiential, intensive, and encourage participants to engage in listening, dialogue, action and reflection. Rather than telling participants what to do and how to do it, the women are guided through the process of self-discovery about their needs as they regain their strength and skills, and explore ways to achieve solutions.

The guiding principles of License to Freedom are:

A September 2007 grant from the San Diego chapter of Bread for the Journey in the amount of $750 will help support the range of services provided by License to Freedom. For more information on this organization that is providing vital and transformative services to our immigrant sisters, please go to www.licensetofreedom.org.

Latinos y Latinas en Acción

Latinos y Latinas en Acción ( LLEA ) is a successful, vibrant coalition of community residents who are part of the MidCity Community Advocacy Network (Mid-City CAN) in San Diego. Working to promote positive change, the members actively participate in Mid-City’s civic and political processes, and are well respected by the governing bodies at the city, county, state and federal levels. The mission of LLEA is to lead, support and channel the various efforts made by the Latino community to improve the quality of life of its families and to influence the civic and political processes that affect Mid-City.

Latinos and Latinas en Acción recruits its members with two goals in mind:

Through a variety of trainings, members acquire the skills needed to advocate for different issues that affect the life of the community. The trainings focus on leadership development, community organizing and advocacy, personal growth, and the impact that racism and oppression have on the daily lives of members. This year, the priority areas for LLEA are: immigrant rights, affordable and healthy housing (Proyecto Casas Des Saludables), and education.

In September 2007, the San Diego chapter of Bread for the Journey gave a $1,000 grant to the LLEA to provide a full year of childcare services, thus allowing parents to attend the LLEA meetings and events. For more information, go to www.midcitycan.org and click on community involvement.

transcenDANCE Youth Arts Project

Catherine (Cat) Corral, who co-founded transcenDANCE Youth Arts Project in 2005, is working as its CEO and Artistic Director. This San Diego-based nonprofit provides professional training in dance, choreography, creative writing and theatre to San Diego youth with the firm belief that the arts can be an effective tool in mobilizing and empowering people to work for social change in their communities. The core values of this young, dynamic organization are inspiring, and include community leadership and service through the arts; performance as a means to mobilize social change; encouragement of culturally and racially diverse youth to work side by side in meaningful ways; and inspiring greater thinking and action about complex social issues. TranscenDANCE is youth-driven in every aspect of its work.

Bread for the Journey of San Diego is honored to grant transcenDANCE their request of $1050. The funds will be used toward the cost of purchasing dance shoes and uniforms for the entire company to use during the 2007 performance season. TranscenDANCE has also graciously agreed to perform at Bread for the Journey of San Diego’s fundraising event, to be held in August 2007. Visit http://www.transcendanceyoutharts.org.

Casa Cornelia Law Center

Casa Cornelia Law Center is a public interest law firm that provides quality pro bono legal representation to victims of human and civil rights violations. They are dedicated to working with the most vulnerable communities in San Diego — the undocumented immigrant women and children who are victims of domestic violence.

Although entitled by law to immigrant visas, these victims are dependent upon their abusers to access the system. Their abusers, however, refuse to help them with the process, often threatening them with deportation and separation from family. They live in the shadows of society, alienated by language, poverty, culture, and fear. Because of their undocumented immigration status, they cannot take advantage of the social and medical services designed for at-risk women and children.

Casa Cornelia comes to their aid by providing free legal representation, which empowers them to leave their abusive relationships. They assist them with their visa petitions, which gets them on the road toward economic independence, improved self-esteem, and a new life for themselves and their children. A $500 grant from the San Diego chapter of Bread for the Journey will cover the cost of all printing for the Casa Cornelia Domestic Violence program. See www.casacornelia.org.

SOFIA - Poverty and Social Justice

With the third-largest immigrant population in the U.S., San Diego is a gateway for newcomers from over 50 different countries. Lana Khoury, Esq., and her small staff at SOFIA (Services Offered for Immigration Advocacy) provide services to those needing help in legalizing their residency or immigration status. In addition to naturalization and citizenship applications, the group submits requests for work authorizations, waivers and travel documents. They also help those seeking asylum and temporary protection status, family reunification, and battered spousal immigration support. SOFIA also offers another important service by helping would-be immigrants weed out deceptive offers from organizations who would take advantage of their limited knowledge about our customs and language.

Their services are offered on a pro bono basis or sliding scale fee. INS fees (which have recently risen substantially) are paid in full. Last year, SOFIA submitted 2,500 applications, 1,200 of which were successfully completed. Bread for the Journey of San Diego was moved by SOFIA'S dedication and kindness to the immigrant community, and offered a $500 grant to further their efforts.

People for Trees

Due to San Diego's recent devastating fires, the San Diego chapter of Bread for the Journey decided to help People for Trees, a non-profit organization that places trees throughout the community. Their goal is to bring more greenery and beautification to San Diego, as well as to help the environment ecologically. They come out to a home or specific area, assess where the tree should be planted, check the soil, and offer some recommendations as to which trees would be best for that location. It is then up to the receiver to dig the hole, plant the tree and maintain it.

Each tree costs People for Trees $70 - $80, and Bread for the Journey of San Diego was happy to offer help in the form of a $500 grant.

It Takes a Village

Upon reading Wayne Muller's book, How Then Shall We Live?, Katherine Miller became inspired by his story of how weaving looms - when placed in a strategic community setting - could help weave a bond between generations and with the community's cultural past.

Katherine had been a weaver who was moving from San Diego to the Virgin Islands, and was looking for a new "home" for her loom. So she called Bread for the Journey of San Diego asking if we could get it to a group who would use and appreciate it.

Karen Schneider picked up Katherine's loom and brought it to a friend's garage for safekeeping. Brandy Sacks at BFJ's International Headquarters soon identified Shelly Trippe Harden of Santa Fe, NM, as a possible recipient. Shelly had worked on a weaving project with the women of Las Trampas. They were now setting up a non-profit organization to promote weaving in their community, and said they would love to have the loom!

After shopping around, however, Karen discovered that the shipping costs would be more than the San Diego chapter could afford. So she located yet another donor - Fred Bincziewski of Ocean Beach - who offered to pack and ship the loom for free. Finally, Katherine's vision for the loom has come to fruition, now in the loving hands of people who will use and appreciate it. In the process, all of us learned that it really does "take a village…"!

Better than Money!

Charles and Diane Connoy became acquainted with the San Diego Chapter of Bread for the Journey at a movie-night fundraiser at Karen Schneider's home.

Charles contacted us to say that Sony Computer Entertainment, his employer, would happily donate their used computers to organizations we might put them in touch with. Of those we contacted, Shakti Rising acted quickly. (Shakti Rising is an innovative and highly effective alternative recovery program for young women dealing with the effects of addiction and disempowerment.) Charles put Jordyn Stanton of Shakti Rising in contact with Rick Rossiter, head of the IT Support Department at Sony, who was responsible for the distribution.

Jordyn writes, "Sony turned out to be a wonderful situation for Shakti Rising. We did receive the four computers that you initially contacted us about. Since then, we have received three more computers with monitors, a scanner and a high power printer. Sony continues to donate to us whenever it is possible for them to do so. These computers have all been used in our offices and our director's home office. They are the fastest machines we have….Thank you so much for giving us this lead. It has been a wonderful blessing to our organization."

Canine Companions for Independence

In the fall of 2003, the San Diego Chapter of Bread for the Journey donated $500 to Canine Companions for Independence (CCI). CCI is a non-profit organization that breeds, raises and trains dogs until they are ready to be placed with a person who is living with a disability.

The grant went to support the adoption of one specific dog, Joshua. He is a Golden Retriever-Labrador who was given to 7-year-old Corey Brooks. Joshua's job is to be a "Skilled Companion." (The team consists of a child with a disability, a dog and an adult who handles the dog). Corey's dad said that they wanted "a best friend and companion for Corey. Being in a wheel chair, he often feels left out because he can't keep up with other kids." Corey suffers from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a neuro-muscular disease that causes the muscles to weaken and deteriorate.

Corey's parents have reported that since Joshua came to live with them, Corey is always smiling. With Joshua sleeping in his room, Corey is no longer afraid of the dark. Corey is so proud that he has something special that is all his. Not only can Joshua help Corey retrieve things, turn on lights and even open doors, but he has become Corey's best friend.

The Telling of our Stories

Walk …
You were born for the path
You have a date
Where? With whom?

I will never find myself
If I don't allow myself to be lost.

The memory and the telling of our stories are central to our experience of being human. It is in this telling that we deeply connect to one another.

The San Diego chapter of Bread for the Journey gathered with friends and supporters on the evening of the Spring Equinox to celebrate the lives of young women walking a new path of hope - and future possibilities - far different from their troubled pasts. The young women were from Shakti Rising, a dynamic recovery program based on education and empowerment (http://www.shaktirising.org). They shared their life stories and told us of being nurtured to wholeness by the staff of the Shakti Rising program.

Our evening together was our Spring FunRaiser. Because of the generosity of everyone who came and the sponsors who provided raffle items, we were able to provide Shakti Rising with a gift of $250.This money would provide one month of private counseling for a young woman in the program. We closed the evening with a Dance for Peace led by Alice King to the music of Pachelbel's Canon, and the naming in alphabetical order of every country in the world.

"Walk … you are born to take the path."

Shakti Rising

Shakti Rising is a small organization founded by Shannon Thompson. It provides a dynamic and innovative recovery program founded on education that assists young women, primarily 15—25, in overcoming addiction, abuse and disempowerment. The program encompasses the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of healing necessary for transformation.

The program includes both live-in and live-out apprenticeship recovery programs, as well as classes in Herbs & Nutrition, Business Skills, Financial Responsibility, Yoga, Lifescripts Teen Theatre, and Creative Personal Growth classes.

Bread for the Journey of San Diego felt blessed to be able to offer Shakti Rising a $1000 grant to further its environmental program. The grant will be used to start a community garden (to produce food, for environmental reasons, as well as for its therapeutic value), and for environmental education. For more information, check out their website at http://www.shaktirising.org.

School To School Tutors Update

REMINDER: In November, 2001 BFJ of San Diego gave the San Diego Association of Black Social Workers a $700 grant to pay a small stipend to high school students to help teach children in their Saturday Tutoring Program.

UPDATE: The Saturday School is going strong at Baker Elementary. The San Diego Association of Black Social Workers was honored by the school district as one of their "Partners in Education." Using their grant from Bread for the Journey, coordinator Carlotta Wright-Fleener hired two high school students - Jasmine Beauchamp from Vallaha High School, and Patrice Percy from Patrick Henry High School. Carlotta also purchased books for the students to use, which will remain part of the program.

Graceful Passages - Care for the Journey Update

REMINDER: In November of 2001 BFJ of San Diego gave a $300 grant to Michael Stillwater to further distribute his CD called Graceful Passages, a Companion for Living and Dying, to hospices and hospitals in the San Diego area. This spoken word and music CD helps patients ease the transition at the end of life.

UPDATE: Michael Stillwater's project, now called The Companion Foundation, has received non-profit status with the IRS. The newly created foundation supports positive trends for improving the quality of life for those in need, and helps to nourish these trends by creating relevant, quality resources. To support this vision, they continue to record and archive "wisdomkeepers," messages that have a universally beneficial quality. These messages are edited, and then musically scored.

In associate with the Integrated Palliative Care Program of San Diego Hospice and the Hospice of the Florida Sun Coast, Care for the Journey is currently developing clinical applications for the Graceful Passages CD as a
tool for caregivers, patients, and families. Their target goal for 2002 is to disseminate 20,000 copies of Graceful Passages. They estimate that for every recording delivered an average of five people are touched, potentially reaching approximately 100,000 people. To hear and order Graceful Passages, you can visit their website at www.gracefulpassages.com

Sacred Order Sanctuary (SOS)

On a leap of faith, Linda Strom-Medvitz and her husband sold their 18-year-old business, started the Sacred Order Sanctuary (SOS) and purchased 40 acres of land for the purpose of starting a youth camp. Camp Cloud Walk is dedicated to promoting respect for nature and the environment through education, by drawing from the combined wisdom of several native traditions.

Nestled on the northern side of El Cajon Mountain overlooking the lush Barona Valley, Camp Cloud Walk provides a unique opportunity for children ages 8 to 16. It provides a retreat where they can connect with nature, explore the secrets of the local countryside, and come to better understand their connection with the earth, their place in the world, and their responsibilities to both.

Linda asked for and was granted $700 from Bread for the Journey of San Diego. Of this, $500 is paying for their 501 (c) 3 status, with the remaining $200 paying the rental fee for the Oak Tree Ballroom, where they will be holding a fundraiser on June 8th. Later in June, the camp will host their first group of kids. Check out SOS's website at www.sacredordersanctuary.org

Donovan Prison Meditation Project

Donovan Prison has over 5,000 inmates, many of whom have strong meditation practices. One man studies the Pali language so he can read Buddhist texts in their original form. There are many more who are interested in learning meditation to help them better cope with the suffering inherent within the confines of their environment. However, unlike the prison's Christian, Jewish and Muslim populations who receive significant material support, these men have only a small plaster Buddha, a few woolen blankets (that they use for sitting on the concrete floor), and six zafus (meditation cushions). Their Sangha (meditation group) consists of 12 to 24 regular attendees with about 20 to 30 more who are interested in joining. Rick Avery asked Bread for the Journey of San Diego for a grant to purchase a few more woolen blankets, some incense and some wood for making sitting benches in the prison's wood shop. Finally, they needed to pay for the monk's gas so he could travel to and from the prison. Rick said they only needed about $25 per month in total.

We gave them a grant of $300 to cover their expenses for about one year. They hope to eventually conduct long retreats within the prison walls and build a strong Sangha with a presence in all four sections of the prison; currently they are in only one. On receiving the check, Rick said, "On behalf of Dale Laney, Reverend Kshanti, Sensei Seisen and myself, thank you for honoring these men's practice and their wish to be free from suffering. We send you boundless metta (loving kindness) and the wish that your own practice will grow and develop, moment by moment, day by day." At Bread for the Journey of San Diego, we feel that the calmness and equanimity that can be developed through meditation will benefit not only the practitioners, but the general atmosphere within the prison as well.

Project 10 for 10

Project 10 for 10 takes ten at-risk youth who are currently in a juvenile or rehab center and - by matching them with ten dogs and teaching them to train the dogs in basic obedience - provides them with useful skills and a sense of worth and purpose. Patrice Hutchins, the founder of Ispeak Foundation, asked Bread for the Journey of San Diego for a grant to help purchase a transportation vehicle. She also needed funds for their graduation, or "acknowledgment ceremony," which takes place at the end of the program. The graduation dinner honors the teens and their assigned dogs, and each kid receives a "Jacket of Pride" with their name embroidered on it. Bread for the Journey of San Diego gave this project a grant of $1000.

Community Garden Projects

Isabella Rochon has a dream. Her dream is to see gardens spring up throughout San Diego in ways that will help bridge social, economic, cultural and environmental gaps among various neighborhoods and, in the process, help to build a stronger overall community.

This is a seedling project, still in its early stages. Isabella has created flyers, in Spanish, Vietnamese and English, and has contacted San Diego's senators and city council members about finding land for the gardens. Among a small group of volunteers is one person who will teach gardening and composting, as well as another whose expertise is in biodynamic gardening. Among Isabella's intentions is to see at least one garden (in a high-income area) assist another garden (in a less advantaged area) with hands-on support, both physically and financially. Bread for the Journey of San Diego gave Isabella a grant of $1000. We will keep you posted on her progress.
(Spring 2002)

School to School Tutors

Bread for the Journey of San Diego gave its first grant to Deborah Finch of the San Diego Association of Black Social Workers. They are a volunteer organization that has been tutoring students at Baker Elementary in Logan Heights, one of the lowest performing schools in San Diego, for four years. It is K-6 with about 600 students, and is Montessori based (though still public). Many of the children are being raised by their grandparents, and many families are undocumented aliens. The Saturday tutoring program takes place 2 or 3 times a month, and 19 to 30 kids show up. They usually only have 3 adult tutors (no more)! They asked for the grant so that they can pay a small stipend to high school students to help tutor the children. There are 3 high schools in the area from which they can recruit.

I met with Deborah and had tea for our final discussion. She is such an authentic, wonderful person, a grandmother and long-time social worker. When I told her Bread for the Journey of San Diego was going to give San Diego Association of Black Social Workers a grant of $700 she got so excited! She said if she knew me better she would give me a kiss. This is the first grant they have ever received. In the spirit of simplicity and fun, I then pulled out our checkbook and wrote her a check. She was dancing on the way out of the coffee shop! It was one of the most enjoyable things I have ever done.

Graceful Passages - Care for the Journey

Our second grant went to Michael Stillwater and his project "Care for the Journey," a hospice gifting program. Michael is a talented singer, songwriter, and producer who has created a CD called Graceful Passages, a Companion for Living and Dying. It is a heart-opening journey of soothing music and words of inspiration by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, Thich Nhat Hanh, Arun Ghandhi, Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and others. Michael gives the CD away to hospices and hospitals for patients to ease the transition at the end of life. With our $300 grant, Michael can distribute his CD at hospices and hospitals in the San Diego area. For more information and to hear a sample of his CD, please see www.gracefulpassages.com/grace.htm.